Semiconductor device including a thin film transistor and capacitor

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor device and a method for preparing the same that can solve crack of a semiconductor film, capacitance electrodes and the like due to stress when forming a source electrode and a drain electrode in a semiconductor device having a thin film transistor and a holding capacitance with three or more capacitance electrodes is provided. Before forming the source electrode and the drain electrode, a crystalline silicon film for relaxing the stress is formed, then a contact hole connecting to the semiconductor film of the thin film transistor is opened, and a metal film to be the source electrode and the drain electrode is formed.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/040,946 filed Jan. 21, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,208,355 which is adivisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/394,637, filed on Mar. 21,2003 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,853,052 issued Feb. 8, 2005).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a semiconductor device including a thin filmtransistor (hereinafter referred to as TFT) and a capacitor, and amethod for preparing the same. This invention also relates to electronicequipment on which a display device having a semiconductor deviceincluding a TFT and a capacitor, particularly a liquid crystal displaydevice, an EL display device or a projector, is incorporated as itscomponent, and a method for preparing the same. In this specification, asemiconductor device means any device that can function by usingsemiconductor characteristics, and all of a display device, asemiconductor circuit and electronic equipment are semiconductordevices.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, development of a semiconductor device having an integratedcircuit that is formed by a TFT constructed by using a thin film (with athickness of approximately several nm to several hundred nm) formed on asubstrate with an insulating surface is in progress. As a typicalexample of this, an active-matrix liquid crystal display device isknown. Particularly, a TFT using a crystalline silicon film as an activeregion has high field-effect mobility and therefore can form variousfunctional circuits.

For example, in an active-matrix liquid crystal display device, a pixelcircuit for performing image display by each functional block anddriving circuits for controlling the pixel circuit such as a shiftregister circuit, a level shifter circuit, a buffer circuit and asampling circuit, which are based on CMOS circuits, can be formed on asingle substrate, and the circuits can be formed by TFTs.

Semiconductor devices represented by an active-matrix liquid crystaldisplay device are used in more and more occasions and convenience ofsuch devices is demanded accordingly. Development to realizeminiaturization, higher brightness, higher definition, lower price andthe like has been continued.

For example, an active-matrix liquid crystal display device used for aliquid crystal projector or a display unit of electronic equipment hasmillions of pixels, and a TFT is provided in each pixel.Counter-electrodes are provided on facing substrates holding liquidcrystal between them, thus forming a kind of capacitor with the liquidcrystal functioning as a dielectric. Next, with the switching functionof the TFTs, electric charges accumulated in the capacitor arecontrolled. The electronic potential to be applied to the pixels is thuscontrolled and the liquid crystal is driven. The amount of transmittedor reflected light is controlled to display an image.

Particularly in a small-sized and high-definition transmission-typeliquid crystal display device such as one used in a liquid crystalprojector, as long as miniaturization and higher definition are demandedat the same time, continuous reduction in pixel size is fullyanticipated. For example, to realize high-definition display of XGA(1024×768 pixels) in a liquid crystal display device of 0.7-inchdiagonal type, each pixel has a very small area of 14 μm by 14 μm.

In the transmission-type liquid crystal display device, if sufficientcapacitance is to be secured by forming a capacitor using a capacitancewiring in a pixel unit, the opening rate must be sacrificed. Currently,these problems are dealt with by increasing the opening rate for higherbrightness and increasing the number of pixels for higher definition.However, it is an extremely difficult problem to design a pixelstructure that can achieve both improvement in opening rate and increasein number of pixels and can secure sufficient capacitance while thepixel size becomes smaller.

As solutions for the foregoing problem, improvements are made in orderto increase the opening rate, such as reduction in area of the TFT andthe capacitor, which are dead spaces, reduction in width of the gateelectrode and the source wiring, and reduction of the bonding marginbetween the TFT substrate and the facing substrates. Particularly, usinga stack capacitor to reduce the area of the capacitor is effective asthe foregoing solution. (Patent Literature 1)

A stack capacitor is a capacitor having a structure in which three ormore layers of capacitance electrodes are stacked via two or more layersof dielectrics. Although only a structure with three layers ofcapacitance electrodes will be described in this specification, thestack capacitor is not limited to this structure and may have morecapacitance electrodes. This specification mainly describes the casewhere a first capacitance electrode is formed simultaneously with asemiconductor layer of a TFT, a second capacitance electrode is formedsimultaneously with a gate electrode, and a dielectric layer separatingthe two capacitance electrodes is a gate insulating film. However, thestack capacitor is not necessarily limited to this structure.

FIGS. 2A to 2E show a conventional method for preparing a stackcapacitor. Using known techniques for patterning and etching, asemiconductor film formed on a substrate is selectively etched to form asemiconductor layer 14 of a TFT and a first capacitance electrode 15 ofa stack capacitor. After that, an insulating film 13 to be a firstdielectric is formed. Next, a gate electrode 32 and a second capacitanceelectrode 33 are formed. The second capacitance electrode 33 is acapacitance wiring with its electric potential fixed to ground potentialor the like. After that, a second insulating film 34 to be a seconddielectric is formed (FIG. 2A).

After a part of the first insulating film and the second insulating filmis etched to form a contact hole 40, a second conductive film 35, whichis to be a source electrode and a drain electrode as connection wiringsand a third capacitance electrode, is formed to be connected with thesemiconductor film 14 of the TFT (FIG. 2C).

Subsequently, the second conductive film is etched to form a sourceelectrode, a drain electrode 41 and a third capacitance electrode 42,and then a third insulating film 36 is formed to cover the sourceelectrode, the drain electrode, the second insulating film and the thirdcapacitance electrode (FIG. 2D). After that, a part of the thirdinsulating film is etched to form a contact hole that reaches the sourceelectrode and the drain electrode, and then a third conductive film isformed and selectively etched to form a connection wiring 38 (FIG. 2E).Although not shown in FIGS. 1A to 1E, the first capacitance electrode 15and the third capacitance electrode 42 are electrically connected witheach other and are connected with the other wirings or TFT so as to begiven a predetermined voltage.

In the capacitor, it is possible to hold more capacitance charges byreducing the thickness of the dielectric.

However, if the thickness of the dielectric is reduced, when forming thesubsequent conductive film by a sputtering method, the dielectric isaffected by the shock of sputtering and a defect tends to occur in thedielectric. Specifically, when forming the second capacitance electrode33 and the third capacitance electrode 42, a defect occurs in the firstdielectric 13 and the second dielectric 34 which are in contact withthese electrodes. As a result, a short circuit may occur between thefirst capacitance electrode 15 and the second capacitance electrode 33or between the second capacitance electrode 33 and the third capacitanceelectrode 42.

As the second conductive film 35 is formed on the insulating film 34,which is a dielectric, there arises a problem that the semiconductorfilm 14 of the TFT and the first capacitance electrode 15 are cracked bythe stress of the conductive film 35.

To solve this problem, it may be considered to use a material that doesnot apply excessive stress to the substructure when forming the secondconductive film. In this case, however, the material of the secondconductive film is limited. For example, the case of using, as thesecond conductive film 35, a semiconductor film fed with phosphorus asan impurity element will be described. The semiconductor film fed withphosphorus and a semiconductor film forming an n-channel TFT can beelectrically connected with each other. However, in the case of asemiconductor film forming a p-channel TFT, pn junction is generated andcontinuity cannot be achieved. Therefore, in the capacitance electrodeof the n-channel TFT and the capacitance electrode of the p-channel TFT,conductive films made of different materials must be formed. This causesa problem of increased number of process steps.

Patent Literature 1:

JP-A-5-243519 (Pages 2 to 3, FIG. 1)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of above-mentioned problems, the present invention has, withrespect to the semiconductor device having TFTs and a plurality ofcapacitance elements, an object of manufacturing a semiconductor devicewith a sufficient yields that has higher open ratio and a capability ofhigher-luminance and higher-definition display in comparison withconventional devices.

The present invention is characterized in that a semiconductor devicethat has a plurality of capacitance elements stacked vertically on aninsulating surface, a thin film transistor, and a buffer layer formedbetween dielectric materials of a capacitance element and a capacitanceelectrode.

Therefore, the present invention is characterized in that asemiconductor device comprising a thin film transistor, a firstcapacitor and a second capacitor formed on an insulating surface,

the first capacitor and the second capacitor being stacked vertically tothe insulating surface,

the first capacitor having a first capacitance electrode and a secondcapacitance electrode formed with a first dielectric between them,

the second capacitor having the second capacitance electrode and a thirdcapacitance electrode formed with a second dielectric between them,

the thin film transistor having an active region formed by asemiconductor film, a gate electrode, a connection wiring connecting tothe active region, and a first insulating film formed between the gateelectrode and the connection wiring,

wherein a buffer layer is formed between the second dielectric and thethird capacitance electrode and between the first insulating film andthe connection wiring.

The buffer layer is a film to relax stress generated when forming thethird capacitance electrode and the connection wiring. The buffer layeris typically made from a crystalline semiconductor film or an amorphoussemiconductor film to have a thickness of 10 to 100 nm.

The buffer layer is not in contact with the active region of the thinfilm transistor. The connection wiring is a source electrode and a drainelectrode, and connected with the active region of the thin filmtransistor.

The present invention is characterized in that a method for preparing asemiconductor device comprising a first capacitor having a firstcapacitance electrode and a second capacitance electrode formed on aninsulating surface, a second capacitor having the second capacitanceelectrode and a third capacitance electrode, and a thin film transistor,the method comprising:

forming a semiconductor film on an insulating surface and then etchingthe semiconductor film to form an active region of the thin filmtransistor and the first capacitance electrode;

sequentially forming a first insulating film and a first conductive filmon the active region and the first capacitance electrode;

etching the first conductive film to form a gate electrode of the thinfilm transistor and the second capacitance electrode;

then forming a third insulating film and a second conductive film andetching the second conductive film, the third insulating film and thesecond insulating film to expose a part of the active region of the thinfilm transistor;

then forming a third conductive film and connecting the third conductivefilm with the active region of the thin film transistor;

etching the second conductive film and the third conductive film to forma connecting wiring of the thin film transistor and the thirdcapacitance electrode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A to 1E show an example of the concept of this invention.

FIGS. 2A to 2E show a conventional example.

FIGS. 3A to 3C are cross-sectional views showing a process of preparinga pixel TFT and a TFT of a driving circuit.

FIGS. 4A to 4C are cross-sectional views showing a process of preparinga pixel TFT and a TFT of a driving circuit.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views showing a process of preparinga pixel TFT and a TFT of a driving circuit.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are cross-sectional views showing a process of preparinga pixel TFT and a TFT of a driving circuit.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are cross-sectional views showing a process of preparinga pixel TFT and a TFT of a driving circuit.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are cross-sectional views showing a process of preparinga pixel TFT and a TFT of a driving circuit.

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view showing a process of preparing anactive-matrix liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional structural view showing a driving circuitand a pixel unit of a light-emitting device.

FIG. 11A is a top view of a light-emitting device. FIG. 11B is across-sectional structural view showing a driving circuit and a pixelunit of a light-emitting device.

FIGS. 12A to 12F show examples of electronic equipment.

FIGS. 13A to 13D show examples of electronic equipment.

FIGS. 14A to 14C show examples of electronic equipment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A process of preparing a semiconductor device that can be prepared bythis invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 1E.

An underlying insulating film 11 is formed on a substrate 10. As thesubstrate 10, a glass substrate, a synthetic quartz glass substrate, asilicon substrate, or a metal substrate or stainless steel substratewith an insulating film formed on its surface may be used. A plasticsubstrate durable to the processing temperature may also be used. As theunderlying insulating film 11, an insulating film such as a siliconoxide film, a silicon nitride film or a silicon oxide-nitride film isused. Although a single-layer structure is used for the underlyinginsulating film 11 in this embodiment, a structure having two or morestacked layers of insulating films may be used. The underlyinginsulating film 11 is for restraining diffusion of impurity elementsfrom the substrate. Therefore, when a quarts glass substrate or the likeis used as the substrate, the underlying insulating film need not beformed.

Next, a semiconductor film is formed on the underlying insulating film.After the semiconductor film is formed with a thickness of 25 to 200 nm(preferably 30 to 100 nm) by a known technique (sputtering method, LPCVDmethod, plasma CVD method or the like), the semiconductor film is etchedinto a desired shape to form an active region 14 of a TFT and asemiconductor film 15 to be a first capacitance electrode of acapacitor. Although the semiconductor film for the active region of theTFT and the semiconductor film for the capacitor are separately formedin FIGS. 1A to 1E, these films may remain connected instead of beingseparated. Moreover, while in FIG. 1A the first capacitor is aconductive film formed by adding impurity to the semiconductor film, thefirst capacitor is not limited to this. That is, any conductive film maybe used.

In the case the semiconductor film formed by a known technique has anamorphous structure, it is desired to first perform knowncrystallization processing (laser crystallization method, thermalcrystallization method, or thermal crystallization method using acatalyst such as nickel) to form a crystalline semiconductor film andthen etch the semiconductor film into a desired shape. Although thematerial of the semiconductor film is not limited, silicon,silicon-germanium (SiGe) alloy or the like is preferred.

Next, a first insulating film 13 covering the semiconductor films 14 and15 is formed. The first insulating film functions as a gate insulatingfilm. The first insulating film is formed with a single-layer ormultilayer structure of insulating films having a thickness of 40 to 150nm by a known technique (plasma CVD method, sputtering method or thelike).

Next, a first conductive film is formed using a known technique and thefirst conductive film is selectively etched to form a gate electrode 32and a second capacitance electrode 33. The second capacitance electrodebecomes a capacitance wiring with its electric potential fixed to groundpotential or the like. The material of the first conductive film is anelement selected from Ta, W, Ti, Mo, Al and Cu, or an alloy material orcompound material containing these elements as principal components. Asemiconductor film represented by a crystalline silicon film doped withan impurity element such as phosphorus may also be used. While the firstconductive film has a single-layer structure in this embodiment, two ormore layers of conductive films may be stacked.

Next, a second insulating film 34 is formed to cover the gate electrode32 and the second capacitance electrode 33. The second insulating film34 is formed with a single-layer or multilayer structure having athickness of 40 to 150 nm by a known technique (plasma CVD method,sputtering method or the like).

Next, using the gate electrode 32 as a mask, the semiconductor film 14is selectively fed with an impurity element to form an impurity region16. As the impurity element, an impurity element providing n-type or animpurity element providing p-type is used. FIG. 1A shows an example offeeding p-type impurity. Subsequently, heat treatment is performed toactivate the impurity element (FIG. 1A).

Next, a second conductive film 20 is formed on the second insulatingfilm 34 (FIG. 1B). FIG. 1B shows the case of stacking two layers ofconductive films. A buffer layer (second conductive film 20 formed onthe second insulating film 34 in FIG. 1B) is formed to relax the stressapplied from an upper conductive film 21, which will be formed later.Therefore, the second conductive film is formed using a material thatcan relax the stress. For example, a crystalline silicon film withphosphorus added thereto is electrically conductive, can be formed by anLPCVD method with good step coverage and is more flexible than a metalelement film. Therefore, it can relax the stress applied to the secondinsulating film 34 by the upper conductive film 21. Although acrystalline silicon film with phosphorus added thereto is used as thesecond conductive film in FIG. 1B, the second conductive film is notlimited to this and an amorphous silicon film can also be used.Moreover, an organic conductive material (such as polyphenylene vinylenederivative, polyfluorene derivative, polythiophene derivative,polyphenylene derivative and copolymer of these, oligophenylene,oligothiophene, pentacene, tetracene, copper phthalocyanine,fluorine-substitute phthalocyanine, perylene derivative or the like) canalso be used. In FIGS. 1A to 1E, the impurity-added regions (sourceregion and drain region) of the TFT are of p-type, but the secondconductive film 20 is a crystalline silicon film with phosphorus addedthereto and is an n-type semiconductor. Therefore, the second conductivefilm and the impurity-added regions of the TFT cannot be directlyconnected with each other. Therefore, the second conductive film isformed before opening a contact hole directly connecting the secondconductive film with the semiconductor film of the TFT.

Next, etching processing to form a contact hole reaching thesemiconductor film 14 is performed. The etching processing is performedunder the following first to third etching conditions. Of course, whenthe same material is stacked, etching can be performed under the samecondition. Even with different materials, etching can be performed underthe same condition in some cases. Under any etching condition, it isdesired to perform etching using a dry etching method such as an RIE(reactive ion etching) method or an ECR (electron cyclotron resonance)method. This is because anisotropic etching can be performed more easilyby dry etching than by wet etching.

First, under the first etching condition, the second conductive film 20is partly etched to partly expose the second insulating film 34. Next, amask made of a resist is kept in that state and the second insulatingfilm 34 is etched under the second etching condition to partly exposethe first insulating film 13. Moreover, the first insulating film 13 isetched under the third etching condition to expose a part of thesemiconductor film 14. By the processing as described above, a contacthole reaching the semiconductor film 14 is formed.

Next, a third conductive film 21 is formed on the second conductive film20. It is desired that the third conductive film 21 is a metal elementfilm so that the third conductive film 21 can be connected with both thep-type impurity region and the n-type impurity region of the TFT. It isalso desired that the third conductive film 21 is a film made of amaterial less reactive to the semiconductor film of the TFT. Typically,a metal element film containing an element such as Ta, W, Ti, Mo, Al,Cu, Cr or Nd can be used. In this embodiment, a tungsten film is formed(FIG. 1C).

Next, the second conductive film 20 and the third conductive film 21 areselectively etched to form a source electrode and a drain electrode 22,which are connection wirings of the TFT, and a third capacitanceelectrode 23. After that, a third insulating film 24 is formed. Sincethe etching in forming the source electrode, the drain electrode 22 andthe third capacitance electrode is etching before flattening the step ofthe gate electrode, isotropic etching is desired. A crystalline siliconfilm with tungsten and phosphorus added thereto is a material thatenables isotropic etching. It is preferred that the source electrode andthe drain electrode are formed to cover a part of the top of the gateelectrode. With this structure, incidence of stray light (light that isnot shut out by a shade film formed above the FT) on the semiconductorfilm of the TFT can be restrained and an OFF-state current of the TFTcan be restrained (FIG. 1D). The second conductive film is provided as abuffer layer. Since the second conductive film is electricallyconductive, it also functions as a capacitance electrode similar to thethird capacitance electrode 23.

After the third insulating film 24 is formed, the third insulating film24 is partly etched to form a contact hole, exposing the sourceelectrode and the drain electrode 22 of the TFT. After that, a fourthconductive film 26 is formed. As the material of the fourth conductivefilm, aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), copper (Cu) or thelike can be used. Alternatively, a multilayer structure having Al or Cuformed on a TaN film and having a Ti film formed thereon may be used.

Although not shown, the semiconductor film 15 and the third capacitanceelectrode 23 of the stack capacitor are electrically connected with eachother and are given a predetermined electric potential.

Through the above-described process, it is possible to form a TFT and astack capacitor at the same time. The stack capacitor includes a firstcapacitor and a second capacitor, with the second capacitor stacked onthe first capacitor. Specifically, the first capacitor includes a firstcapacitance electrode and a second capacitance electrode formed with afirst dielectric between them, and the second capacitor includes thesecond capacitance electrode and a third capacitance electrode formedwith a second dielectric between them. In this embodiment, since thefirst capacitor and the second capacitor are stacked, it is possible tosecure sufficient capacitance charges while reducing the area of thecapacitors.

Moreover, since the second conductive film 20 as a buffer layer isformed between the second insulating film 34 and the third conductivefilm 21, the second insulating film 34 can be protected from thesputtering shock generated when forming the third conductive film 21 andtherefore the thickness of the second insulating film 34 can be reduced.As a result, it is possible to maintain sufficient capacitance chargeswithout enlarging the surface area of the dielectric.

As the second conductive film is provided, the stress generated whenforming the third conductive film 21 can be relaxed. Therefore, crackingof the semiconductor film due to the stress can be restrained andimprovement in yield can be realized.

Furthermore, the second conductive film is not directly connected withthe semiconductor film of the TFT. Therefore, an n-type semiconductorfilm and a p-type semiconductor film can be used for the secondconductive film. That is, the polarity of the second conductive filmneed not be adjusted in accordance with the n-channel TFT and thep-channel TFT and the buffer layer can be formed by a minimum number ofprocess steps.

As this invention is applied to a projection-type liquid crystal displaydevice such as a projector, the opening rate of pixels can be increased.As a result, display with high-luminance and high definition can beprovided and the display device can be produced at a high yield.

This invention having the above-described structure will now bedescribed further in detail with reference to the following examples.

Embodiment 1

A method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate is described inthis embodiment using FIGS. 3A to 10. A substrate on which a drivercircuit used for a CMOS circuit, and a pixel portion having a TFT pixeland a capacitance element are formed together is referred to as anactive matrix substrate for convenience.

First, a first base film (not shown) that is made from a silicon oxidefilm, a silicon nitride film, or a silicon oxynitride film is formed tohave a thickness of 10 to 150 nm (preferably 50 to 100 nm) on asubstrate 500. The base film may have a laminated structure having twoor more layers, or not be formed. Next, a conductive film that is madefrom conductive materials such as Ta, W, Cr, Mo, Si or the like having aresistance to the processing temperatures used in this embodiment isformed and shaped in a desired shape. Subsequently, a bottom shieldingfilm is formed. The bottom shielding film has a function of a gatewiring. In this embodiment, a crystal silicon film in 85 nm thick isformed, then, tungsten silicide (Wsi_(x) (x=2.0 to 2.8)) in 170 nm thickis formed, and then, bottom-shielding films 501, 502 are formed byetching unnecessary portions. In this embodiment, a laminated filmincluding two layers is used for the bottom shielding film, however, asingle layer film may also be used.

In this embodiment, a synthetic quart glass substrate is used forforming a substrate 500. Glass substrates such as barium borosilicateglass or aluminum borosilicate glass typically Corning Corp., #7059glass and #1737 glass, silicon substrates, metallic element substrates,or stainless steel substrates formed an insulating films thereon may beused in this embodiment. Further, a plastic substrate having aresistance to the processing temperatures used in this embodiment mayalso be used.

A second base film 503 having a thickness of 10 to 650 nm (preferably 50to 600 nm) made from an insulating film such as a silicon oxide film, asilicon nitride film, silicon oxynitride film or the like is formed onthe substrate 500 and bottom shielding films 501, 502. In thisembodiment, a single layer film is used for the second base film 503,however, a laminated film including two insulating films may also beused. As the second base film 503, a silicon oxynitride film is formedto have a thickness of 100 nm (composition ratio Si=32%, O=27%, N=24%and H=17%) with a plasma CVD method using SiH₄, NH₃, and N₂O as reactiongas.

Next, a semiconductor layer 504 is formed on the second base film 503.First of all, the semiconductor film 504 is formed to have a thicknessof 25 to 200 nm (preferably 30 to 100 nm) by a known method (such as thesputtering method, the LPCVD method, and the plasma CVD method). Thereis no limitation of materials for semiconductor film though, it ispreferable to use silicon or silicon germanium (SiGe) for forming thesemiconductor film. (FIG. 3A)

Then, the semiconductor film is crystallized by using a knowncrystallization method (a laser crystallization, a thermalcrystallization, and a thermal crystallization using catalyst such asnickel). In this embodiment, for crystallizing the semiconductor film, anickel acetate solution containing 5 ppm of nickel by weight is appliedonto the whole surface by spin coating, and exposed in a nitrogenatmosphere for twelve hours at a temperature of 600° C. (FIG. 3B)

In case of applying a laser crystallization for crystallizing anamorphous semiconductor film, an excimer laser of a pulse oscillationtype or a continuous emission type, a YAG laser, a YLF laser, a YVO₄laser, a YAlO₃ laser or the like can be employed. In case of employingsuch lasers, a method is recommended wherein a laser beam emitted from alaser oscillator is condensed into the shape of a line by an opticalsystem so as to irradiate the semiconductor film. The conditions of thecrystallization shall be properly chosen by a person who operates theprocess. In the case of employing the excimer laser, it is allowed toset a pulse oscillation frequency at 300 Hz and a laser energy densityat 100 to 800 mJ/cm² (typically, 200 to 700 mJ/cm²). Besides, in thecase of employing the YAG laser, it is allowed to utilize the secondhigher harmonics of the emitted laser beam and to set a pulseoscillation frequency at 1 to 300 Hz and a laser energy density at 300to 1000 mJ/cm² (typically, 350 to 800 mJ/cm²). Herein, the whole surfaceof the substrate may be irradiated with the laser beam condensed in theshape of the line having a width of 100 to 1000 μm, for example, 400 μm,and the overlap percentage of such rectilinear laser beams on thisoccasion may be set at 50 to 98%.

Subsequently, gettering is conducted to remove or reduce the metalelement used in accelerating the crystallization from a semiconductorfilm for an active region. As for gettering, a method may be appliedthat is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 10-270363. In thisembodiment, as a mask, a silicon oxide film having a film thickness of70 nm is formed, then, carried out etching thereon. Thus, silicon oxidefilms 508 a to 508 d can be obtained in a desired form. Ar isselectively introduced to the semiconductor film to form impurityregions 510 a to 510 f. By carrying out a thermal process, the metalelement can be reduced from the semiconductor films 511 a to 511 d usedfor an active region to an extent of less affecting the semiconductorcharacteristic. The metal element removed from the semiconductor films511 a to 511 d is etched and removed together with the impurity regions510 a to 510 f at the following steps. The TFT having an active regionformed by this means has a lowered off-current value and is improvedcrystallinity, in consequence, the TFT can provide high field-effectmobility and attain a favorable current voltage characteristic. (FIG.3C)

Then, a crystalline semiconductor film is etched to form 511 a to 511 dinto desired form semiconductor films. The detailed process is notshown. Further, after the semiconductor films 511 a to 511 d is formed,trace amounts of impurity elements (boron or phosphorus) may be dopedthereon to control a threshold value of TFT.

Then, a first insulating film 512 is formed covering the semiconductorfilms 511 a to 511 d. (FIG. 4A) The first insulating film 512 is formedby an insulating film containing silicon to have a thickness of 20 to150 nm by using a plasma CVD or sputtering. In this embodiment, asilicon oxynitride film is formed (composition ratio: Si=32%, O=59%,N=7%, H=2%) to have a thickness of 35 nm by a plasma CVD. Of course, thegate insulating film is not limited to use a silicon oxide nitride filmbut may use another insulating films.

Besides, in case of employing a silicon oxide film for the first gateinsulating film 512, it can be formed by the plasma CVD in such a waythat TEOS (Tetraethyl Orthosilicate) and O₂ are mixed, and that electricdischarge is induced under the conditions of a reaction pressure of 40Pa, a substrate temperature of 300° C. to 400° C. and a radio-frequency(13.56 MHz) power density of 0.5 to 0.8 W/cm². The silicon oxide filmthus formed is thereafter subjected to thermal annealing at 400° C. to500° C., that causes characteristics favorable as the gate insulatingfilm can be attained.

The gate insulating film is partly etched, then, the semiconductor film511 d used for one capacitance electrode is exposed, and then, impurityelements are introduced into the semiconductor film 511 d, accordingly,a first capacitance electrode is formed. (FIG. 4B). At this time,impurity elements are not introduced into other regions since theregions are covered by a resist 513. In this embodiment, a dopingprocess is carried out in the condition that P (phosphorus) is used forimpurity elements, the dosage is 5×10¹⁴ atoms/cm², and an accelerationvoltage is 10 keV.

Then, a second insulating film 515 is formed. The second insulating film515 is formed from an insulating film having a thickness of 20 to 150 nmby using a plasma CVD and a sputtering. In this embodiment, a siliconoxynitride film is formed (composition ratio: Si=32%, O=59%, N=7%, H=2%)to have a thickness of 50 nm by a plasma CVD. Of course, the secondinsulating film is not limited to use a silicon oxynitride film but mayuse another insulating films.

In this embodiment, in order to form the insulating film functioning asdielectrics in the capacitance element into thinner than the gateinsulating film in TFT, the gate insulating film is formed in twicethough, it may also be formed in one.

Next, after contact holes connecting with the bottom shielding film isformed, a first conductive film 516 a having a thickness of 20 to 100 nmand a second conductive film 516 b having a thickness of 100 to 400 nmare laminated. (FIG. 4C) In this embodiment, a first conductive film 516a made from n-type crystalline silicon film having a thickness of 150 nmand a second insulating film 516 b made from tungsten silicide (WSi_(x))film having a thickness of 150 nm are laminated. The n-type crystallinesilicon film is formed by a plasma CVD. The tungsten silicide (WSi_(x))film is formed by using a target of tungsten silicide (WSi_(x)) bysputtering.

In this embodiment, the first conductive film 516 a is made from n-typecrystalline silicon film and the second insulating film 516 b is madefrom tungsten silicide (WSi_(x)) film though, it is not limited to that.Either can be formed from an element selected from Ta, W, Ti, Mo, Al,Cu, Cr, and Nd, or alloy materials or compound materials that containthese elements as principle components. Otherwise, AgPdCu alloys can beused.

Then, etching is conducted in order to form a gate electrode and asecond capacitance electrode. (FIG. 5A) In this embodiment, an ICP(inductively coupled plasma) etching method is used, a gas mixture ofCF₄, Cl₂ and O₂ is used as an etching gas, the gas flow rate is set to25:25:10 sccm, and a plasma is generated by applying a 500 W RF (13.56MHz) power to a coil shape electrode at 1 Pa. According to the etchingcondition, conductive films 517 to 521 is formed. Another known etchingmethods such as RIE, ECR, or the like can be used for the process.

And then, a second doping is carried out to introduce an n-typeimparting impurity element to the semiconductor film. Doping may becarried out by an ion doping method or an ion injecting method. Thecondition of the ion doping method is that a dosage is 1×10¹³ to 5×10¹⁴atoms/cm², and an acceleration voltage is 30 to 80 keV. In thisembodiment, the dosage is 1.5×10¹³ atoms/cm² and the accelerationvoltage is 70 keV. As the impurity element for imparting the n-typeconductivity, an element which belongs to group 15 of the periodictable, typically phosphorus (P) or arsenic (As) is used, and phosphorusis used here. In this case, the conductive films 517 to 521 become masksto the impurity element for imparting the n-type conductivity, and lowconcentration impurity regions 523, 524 are formed in a self-aligningmanner. The impurity element for imparting the n-type conductivity isadded to the low concentration impurity regions 523, 524 in theconcentration range of 1×10¹⁸ to 1×10²⁰ atoms/cm³. Here, a semiconductorfilm on which p-channel TFT is formed with a resist mask 522, and n-typeimpurity elements are not introduced thereinto.

As shown in FIG. 5B, a third doping is carried out. The condition of theion doping method is that a dosage is 1×10¹³ to 1×10¹⁵ atoms/cm², and anacceleration voltage is 30 to 120 keV. Here, in order not to introducen-type impurity elements to a semiconductor film that forms a p-channeltype TFT, a mask 525 b is formed. Further, in order to form selectivelyhigh concentration impurity region on a semiconductor film for formingan n-channel type TFT, masks 525 a, 525 c are formed. In thisembodiment, the dosage is 1×10¹⁵ atoms/cm² and the acceleration voltageis 40 keV. Thus, high concentration impurity regions 526, 529 areformed.

After masks made from resists are removed, masks 532 a and 532 b madefrom resists are newly patterned, and a fourth doping is carried out asshown in FIG. 5C. By the fourth doping, an impurity region introducedimpurity elements for imparting p-type is formed on a semiconductor filmused for an active layer of the p-channel type TFT. The secondconductive film 518 is used as a mask to impurity elements to introduceimpurity elements for imparting p-type, and an impurity region is formedin a self-alignment manner. In this embodiment, diborane. (B₂H₆) isadded to a semiconductor film by an ion doping to form an impurityregion 533. The condition of the ion doping method is that a dosage is1×10¹³ to 1×10¹⁴ atoms/cm², and an acceleration voltage is 30 to 120keV. When the fourth doping is carried out, a semiconductor film thatforms an n-channel type TFT is covered by masks made from resists 532 aand 532 b.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6A, a fifth doping is carried out. The conditionof an ion doping method is that a dosage is 1×10¹³ to 1×10¹⁵ atoms/cm²,and an acceleration voltage is 20 to 120 keV. Here, in order not tointroduce p-type impurity elements to a semiconductor film that forms ap-channel type TFT, masks 534 a, 534 c are formed. Further, in order toform selectively a high concentration impurity region on a semiconductorfilm for forming p-channel type TFT, a mask 534 b is formed. In thisembodiment, the dosage is 1×10¹⁵ atoms/cm² and the acceleration voltageis 40 keV. Thus, a high concentration impurity region 535 and a lowconcentration impurity region 536 are formed.

According to above-mentioned steps, a high concentration impurity regionand a low concentration impurity region are formed on each semiconductorfilm.

As shown in FIG. 6B, masks made from resists 534 a to 534 c are removedto form a first interlayer insulating film 538. The first interlayerinsulating film 538 is formed to have a thickness of 100 to 200 nm by aplasma CVD or sputtering. In this embodiment, a silicon oxynitride filmis formed to have a thickness of 150 nm by a plasma CVD. Of course, thefirst interlayer insulating film 538 is not limited a silicon oxynitridefilm but another insulating films such as silicon nitride film in astructure of a single layer or laminated layers.

Next, a third heat treatment is carried out to conduct a recovery ofcrystallinity of the semiconductor film and activation of impurityelements introduced into each semiconductor film. Here, a heat treatmentis conducted using an electric furnace at 950° C. in nitride atmospherehaving at most 1 ppm, preferably at most 0.1 ppm oxygen concentrationfor 30 minutes. Other than the heat treatment, a laser annealing or arapid thermal annealing (RTA) can be applied. In this embodiment, thethird heat treatment can be conducted at high temperature, sincesynthetic quartz is used for the substrate. However, in case of usingglasses, plastics, or the like that have low heat resistance, the thirdtreatment should be conducted at lower temperature than the temperaturethat the substrate can be resisted.

In addition, before forming the first interlayer insulting film 538, theheat treatment can be carried out. However, in the case that materialsfor forming the first conductive film and the second conductive film areweak against heat, it is preferable that the heat treatment is conductedafter the first interlayer insulating film (insulating films havingsilicon in major components, a silicon nitride film for example) isformed in order to protect the first conductive film, the secondconductive film, or the like as this embodiment.

Next, a hydrogenation can be conducted by carrying out a heat treatment(at 300 to 550° C. for 1 to 12 hours). This step is conducted in orderto terminate a dangling bond of the semiconductor film by hydrogenincluded in the first interlayer insulating film 538. Further, thesemiconductor film can be hydrogenated irrespective of the firstinterlayer insulating film presence. Another method for hydrogenation, aplasma hydrogenation (by using hydrogen by plasma) or a heat treatmentin atmosphere containing hydrogen of 3 to 100% at 300 to 450° C. for 1to 12 hours may be conducted.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, a third conductive film 600 is formed on thefirst interlayer insulating film 538. As materials for the thirdconductive film 600, conductive films which is typified by a crystallinesilicon film doped with n-type impurity elements such as phosphorushaving a thickness of 10 to 100 nm is preferable. If the thickness ofthe third conductive film is less than 10 nm, it has little effect inrelaxing stress that is generated when a tungsten film used for thethird conductive film is formed afterward. Moreover, if the thickness ofthe third conductive film is 100 nm or more, it is difficult to controlwidths of each line uniformly when a source electrode, a drainelectrode, and a second capacitance electrode. In this embodiment, ann-type crystalline silicon film having a thickness of 50 nm as the thirdconductive film 600 by LPCVD.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, contact holes reaching each highconcentration region of the semiconductor film of TFT. In thisembodiment, an etching is conducted by RIE etching in the conditionsthat a gas mixture of CF₄, Cl₂, and O₂ is used as an etching gas, thegas flow rates are set to 25:25:10 (sccm). The etching is conducted byapplying a 500 W RF (13.56 MHz) power at a 106.4 Pa voltage to theelectrode.

And then, on the third conductive film 600 and the semiconductor film, atungsten film used for a fourth conductive film 607 is formed by using asputtering. It is preferable that the fourth conductive film is formedto have a thickness of 50 to 150 nm. It is caused by that if thethickness of the fourth conductive film is thinner than 50 nm, contactholes that will be formed later can not have a function as an etchingstopper, further, if the thickness is 150 nm or more, it is difficult tocontrol widths of each line uniformly since an isotropic etching isconducted when a source electrode, a drain electrode, and a thirdcapacitance electrode are formed. In this embodiment, a tungsten filmhaving a thickness of 100 nm is formed. Further, materials for thefourth conductive film 607 are not limited to tungsten. For example, itis possible that the laminated film in which an aluminum (Al) film andcopper (Cu) are formed on the tantalum nitride (TaN) film, and titanium(Ti) film is formed thereon, is etched, and wirings are formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7A, source electrodes and drain electrodes 608 to613 used for a connection wiring and a third capacitance electrode 614 aare formed by etching selectively the third conductive film and thefourth conductive film. First, an etching is conducted by RIE etching inthe conditions that a gas mixture of SF₆ and He is used as an etchinggas, the gas flow rates are set to 20:20 (sccm). The third conductivefilm is conducted partly by applying a 300 W RF (13.56 MHz) power to theelectrode. The third conductive 614 b film conducted etching is providedas a buffer layer, however, it can function as a capacitance electrodetogether with the fourth conductive film, since the third conductive 614b is conductive.

As shown in FIG. 7B, a second interlayer insulating film 615 is formed.The second interlayer insulating film 615 is formed by using aninsulating film having a thickness of 100 to 200 nm by plasma CVD orsputtering. In this embodiment, a silicon nitride film to have athickness of 120 nm by a plasma CVD.

A third interlayer insulating film 539 made from inorganic insulatingmaterials or organic insulating materials is formed on the secondinterlayer insulating film 615. In this embodiment, a silicon oxynitridefilm to have a thickness of 0.45 μm is formed.

Then, contact holes reaching the source electrodes and drain electrodes608 to 613 are formed, and wirings 540 to 544 connecting electricallywith each source electrode and drain electrodes 608 to 613 are formed.

These wirings are formed by etching a laminated film including atitanium (Ti) film having a thickness of 60 nm, a titanium nitride (TiN)film having a thickness of 40 nm, an alloy film (Al and Si alloy film)having a thickness of 300 nm, and a tungsten (W) film having a thicknessof 100 nm.

As shown in FIG. 8A, a fourth interlayer insulating film 560 made frominorganic insulating materials or organic insulating materials is formedon the third interlayer insulating film 539 and wirings 540 to 544. Inthis embodiment, a silicon oxynitride film to have a thickness of 0.45μm is formed.

Subsequently, a film having high light blocking effects such as Al, Ti,W, Cr, black resin, or the like is etched into a desired form to formshielding films 561, 562 on the fourth interlayer insulating film 560.The shielding films 561, 562 are arranged like the reticulation so as toshield except opening portions of pixels.

As shown in FIG. 8B, a fifth interlayer insulating film 563 is formed tooverlap the shielding films 561, 562. After that, contact holes reachinga connecting wiring 544 are formed, then, a conductive film having athickness of 100 nm is formed, and then, etched into a desired form toobtain pixel electrodes 564, 565. In this embodiment, a pixel electrodeis formed by using a film made from ITO. A liquid crystal display deviceformed later by using this substrate is a transparent type liquidcrystal display device. On the other hand, when a film made from a highreflective element such as silver, aluminum, or the like is used for thepixel electrode, a substrate used for a reflection type liquid crystaldisplay device can be formed.

According to above steps, the driver circuit 555 composed of then-channel TFT 551 and the p-channel TFT 552, and the pixel portion 556including the pixel TFT 553 and the capacitance element 554 can beformed on the same substrate. Thus, the active matrix substrate can becompleted.

Embodiment 2

In this embodiment, a process of manufacturing a reflection type liquidcrystal display device from the active matrix substrate formed inEmbodiment 1 is described below with reference to FIG. 9.

An active matrix substrate in the state of FIG. 8B is first obtained inaccordance with Embodiment 1, an orientation film 567 is then formed onat least the pixel electrodes 564, 565 on the active matrix substrate ofFIG. 8B, and a rubbing process is performed. Note that, before formingthe orientation film 567 in this embodiment, columnar spacer is formedin desired positions by etching an organic resin film such as an acrylicresin film and the like, in order to maintain a gap between substrates.In this embodiment, in order to manufacture a reflective liquid crystaldisplay device, the pixel electrode is formed by using an aluminum film.

An opposing substrate 569 is prepared next. Coloring layer 570, and aleveling film 573 are then formed on the opposing substrate 569.

An opposing electrode 576 made from a transparent conductive film isformed on the leveling film 573 over at least the pixel portion, anorientation film 577 is formed over the entire surface of the opposingsubstrate, and a rubbing process is carried out.

The active matrix substrate on which the pixel portion and the drivercircuit are formed, and the opposing substrate are then joined by asealing material 568. A filler is mixed into the sealing material 568,and the two substrates are joined while maintaining a uniform gap inaccordance with the filler and the columnar spacers. A liquid crystalmaterial 575 is then injected between both substrates, and thesubstrates are completely sealed by using a sealant (not shown). A knownliquid crystal material may be used for the liquid crystal material 575.The reflection type liquid crystal display device shown in FIG. 9 isthus completed. The active matrix substrate or the opposing substrate isthen cut into a desired shape if necessary. In addition, a polarizingplate (not shown) is attached to only the opposing substrate 569. An FPCis then attached using a known technique (not shown).

The resultant liquid crystal display device made by above-mentionedmethod has a plurality of capacitor elements stacked vertically so as toraise an opening ratio with maintaining sufficient capacitance. Thus,high-definition and high-luminance display can be realized.

Since a buffer layer is formed between the conductive film used for acapacitor electrode and dielectrics, the stress generated when formingthe conductive film used for a capacitor electrode can be relaxed.Therefore, a phenomenon of a semiconductor film crack due to the stresscan be controlled, and the liquid crystal display device having animproved operation characteristic and reliability can be manufactured.

More specifically, the liquid crystal display device which can beobtained high-luminance and high-definition display can be manufactured.Especially, when the liquid crystal display device of the presentinvention is used for a projection type display device such as aprojector, a luminance can be improved, and also high-luminance andhigh-definition display can be obtained.

In addition, such liquid crystal display devices can be used for adisplay portion of various electronic apparatus.

Embodiment 3

In this embodiment, an example of manufacturing a light emitting deviceby using the present invention. The light emitting device is the generalterm for the display panel enclosed a light emitting element formed onthe substrate between the substrate and the cover member, and to thedisplay module equipped TFT with the display panel. Incidentally, thelight emitting element has a layer including a compound in which anelectroluminescence can be obtained by applying an electric field(hereinafter, EL layer), an anode layer, and a cathode layer. Meanwhile,the electroluminescence includes the light emission (fluorescence) uponreturning from the singlet-excited state to the ground state and thelight emission (phosphorescence) upon returning from the triplet-excitedstate to the ground state, including any or both of light emission.

In addition, all layers formed between the anode and the cathode in thelight emitting element are defined as EL layer. The light emittinglayer, the hole injection layer, the electron injection layer, the holetransportation layer, and the electron transportation layer, etc. areconcretely included in EL layer. The light emitting element basicallyhas the structure that the anode layer, the light emitting layer, andthe cathode layer are sequentially laminated. In addition to thisstructure, the light emitting element may also has a structure that theanode layer, the hole injection layer, the light emitting layer, and thecathode layer are sequentially laminated or a structure that the anodelayer, the hole injection layer, the light emitting layer, the holetransportation layer, and the cathode layer etc. are sequentiallylaminated.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a light emitting device of thisembodiment. The driver circuit provided on the substrate 700 is formedby using the driver circuit of FIG. 7B. Consequently, concerning theexplanation of the structure, it is satisfactory to refer theexplanation on the n-channel TFT 551 and p-channel TFT 552 ofEmbodiment 1. Incidentally, although this embodiment is of a single gatestructure, it is possible to use a double gate structure or a triplegate structure.

Meanwhile, the wirings 701 to 703 serve as source wirings and drainwirings of the CMOS circuit. Meanwhile, a wiring 704 serves as a wiringto electrically connect between the source wiring and the source regionof the switching TFT while the wiring 705 serves as a wiring toelectrically connect between the drain wiring and the drain region ofthe switching TFT. In FIG. 10, a switching TFT 603 provided on thesubstrate is formed by using the n-channel TFT 551 of FIG. 7B.Consequently, concerning the explanation of the structure, it issatisfactory to refer to the explanation on the n-channel TFT 551described in Embodiment 1.

Incidentally, with respect to the switching TFT 603, this example is adouble gate structure in which two channel formation regions are formedthough, it is possible to use a single gate structure in which onechannel formation region is formed or a triple gate structure in whichthree channel formation regions are formed.

An auxiliary capacity 605 is formed by using a capacitor element 554 ofFIG. 7B. Consequently, concerning the explanation of the structure, itis satisfactory to refer to the explanation on the capacitor element 554described in Embodiment 1.

A current control TFT 604 is formed by using the p-channel TFT 552 shownin FIG. 7B. Therefore, concerning the explanation of the structure, itis satisfactory to refer to the explanation on the p-channel TFT 552described in Embodiment 1. Incidentally, although this embodiment is ofa single gate structure, it is possible to use a double gate structureor a triple gate structure.

Meanwhile, the wiring 706 is a source wiring of the current control TFT(corresponding to a current supply line) while the wiring 707 is anelectrode to be electrically connected to the pixel electrode 711 andthe current control TFT 604 by overlapping the pixel electrode 711 onthe current control TFT 604.

Meanwhile, reference numeral 711 is a pixel electrode (anode of alight-emitting element) formed by a transparent conductive film. As thetransparent conductive film, a compound of indium oxide and tin oxide, acompound of indium oxide and zinc oxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, orindium oxide may be used. Otherwise, a transparent conductive film addedwith gallium may also be used. The pixel electrode 711 is formed on aplanar interlayer insulating film 710 prior to forming the wirings. Alight-emitting layer to be formed later possibly causes, since thethickness thereof is extremely thin, poor light emission due to thepresence of a step. Accordingly, it is preferable to provideplanarization prior to forming a pixel electrode.

After forming the wirings 701 to 708, a bank 712 is formed as shown inFIG. 10. The bank 712 may be formed by etching an inorganic insulatingfilm or organic resin film having a thickness of 100 to 400 nm.

Incidentally, since the bank 712 is an insulating film, caution must bepaid to element electrostatic breakdown during deposition. In thisembodiment, static electricity is suppressed by adding a carbon particleor metal particle to an insulating film as a material for the bank 712to reduce resistivity. In such a case, the addition amount of carbon ormetal particle may be adjusted to provide a resistivity of 1×10⁶ to1×10¹² Ωm (preferably 1×10⁸ to 1×10¹⁰ Ωm).

EL layer 713 is formed on the pixel electrode 711. Incidentally,although FIG. 10 shows only one pixel, this embodiment separately formsEL layer correspondingly to the respective colors of R (red), G (green)and B (blue). Meanwhile, in this embodiment, EL layer is formed by usinga low molecular weight organic light emitting material by the depositionprocess. Specifically, this is a lamination structure having a copperphthalocyanine (CuPc) film provided in a thickness of 20 nm as a holeinjecting layer and a tris-8-qyuinolinolato aluminum complex (Alq₃) filmprovided thereon in a thickness of 70 nm as a light-emitting layer. Thecolor of emission light can be controlled by adding a fluorescentpigment, such as quinacridone, perylene or DCM1, to Alq₃.

However, the foregoing example is an example of light emitting materialsto be used for EL layer and not necessarily limited to this. Organicmaterials and inorganic materials can be used to form the light-emittinglayer. It is satisfactory to form EL layer (layer for light emission andcarrier movement therefor) by freely combining light emitting layer, acharge transporting layer, and an electron injecting layer. For example,although in this embodiment was shown the example in which a lowmolecular weight organic light emitting material is used for alight-emitting layer, it is possible to use an intermediate organiclight emitting material and a high molecular weight organic lightemitting material. Furthermore, in this specification, an intermediatemolecular weight organic light-emitting material can be defined that anaggregate of an organic compound which does not have subliming propertyor dissolving property (preferably, an aggregate which has molecularityof 10 or less), or an organic compound which has a molecular chainlength of 5 μm of less (preferably 50 nm or less). As an example ofusing the high molecular weight organic light emitting material, thelamination structure in which a polythiophene (PEDOT) film having athickness of 20 nm as a hole injection layer is formed by the spincoating method and a paraphenylenvinylene (PPV) film having a thicknessof about 100 nm as a light emitting layer is formed thereon can beformed. The luminescence wave length can be selected from red to blue byusing the π-conjugated type polymer of PPV. Meanwhile, it is possible touse an inorganic material such as silicon carbide for an electrontransporting layer or charge injecting layer. These organic lightemitting materials or inorganic materials can be a known material.

Next, a cathode 714 of a conductive film is provided on EL layer 713. Inthis embodiment, as the conductive film, used is an alloy film ofaluminum and lithium. Of course, a known MgAg film (alloy film ofmagnesium and silver) may be used. As the cathode material may be used aconductive film of an element belonging to the periodic-table group 1 or2, or a conductive film added with such an element.

A light-emitting element 715 is completed at the point of being formedthe cathode 714. Incidentally, the light-emitting element 715 hereinrefers to a diode formed with a pixel electrode (anode) 711, EL layer713 and a cathode 714.

It is effective to provide a passivation film 716 in such a manner tocompletely cover the light-emitting element 715. The passivation film716 is formed by an insulating film including a carbon film, a siliconnitride film or a silicon oxynitride film, and used is an insulatingfilm in a single layer or a combined lamination. In such a case, it ispreferred to use a film favorable in coverage as a passivation film. Itis effective to use a carbon film, particularly DLC (diamond-likecarbon) film. The DLC film, capable of being deposited in a temperaturerange at most 100° C. from room temperature, can be easily depositedover the light-emitting layer 713 low in heat resistance. Meanwhile, theDLC film, having a high blocking effect to oxygen, can suppress theorganic light-emitting layer 713 from oxidizing. Consequently, theproblem of oxidation can be prevented in EL layer 713 during thefollowing sealing process.

Furthermore, a sealing member 717 is provided on the passivation film716 so as to bond a cover member 718. For the sealing member 717 usedmay be an ultraviolet curable resin. It is effective to provide thereina substance having a hygroscopic effect or an antioxidant effect.Meanwhile, in this embodiment, for the cover member 718 used is a glasssubstrate, quartz substrate or plastic substrate (including a plasticfilm) having carbon films (preferably diamond-like carbon films) formedon the both surfaces thereof.

Thus, completed is a light emitting device having a structure as shownin FIG. 10. Incidentally, it is effective to continuously carry out,without release to the air, the process to form a passivation film 716after forming a bank 712 by using a deposition apparatus of amulti-chamber scheme (or in-line scheme). In addition, with furtherdevelopment it is possible to continuously carry out the process up tobonding a cover member 718, without release to the air.

In this manner, n-channel TFTs 601, p-channel TFT 602, the switching TFT(n-channel TFT) 603, the current control TFT (p-channel TFT) 604, andthe auxiliary capacity 605 are formed on the substrate.

Meanwhile, this embodiment shows only the configuration of the pixelportion and driver circuit. However, according to the manufacturingprocess in this embodiment, besides these, it is possible to form on thesame insulating member such logic circuits as a signal division circuit,a D/A converter, an operation amplifier, a γ-correction circuit or thelike. Furthermore, a memory or microprocessor can be formed.

A light-emitting device of this embodiment after the sealing (filling)process for protecting the light-emitting element will be describedusing FIG. 11. Note that, if necessary, reference symbols used in FIG.10 are referred to.

FIG. 11A is a top view representing the state after the sealing of thelight-emitting element, and FIG. 11B is a cross sectional view takenalong a line C-C′ of FIG. 11A. Reference numeral 801 shown by a dottedline denotes a source side driver circuit, reference numeral 806 denotesa pixel portion, and reference numeral 807 denotes a gate side drivercircuit. Also, reference numeral 901 denotes a cover member, referencenumeral 902 denotes a first sealing member, and reference numeral 903denotes a second sealing member. A sealing member 907 is provided in theinside surrounded by the first sealing member 902.

Note that, reference numeral 904 denotes a wiring for transmittingsignals inputted to the source side driver circuit 801 and the gate sidedriver circuit 807. The wiring 904 receives a video signal and a clocksignal from an FPC (flexible printed circuit) 905 as an external inputterminal. In FIG. 11A, although only the FPC is shown, a printed wiringboard (PWB) may be attached to the FPC. The light-emitting device inthis specification includes not only the main body of the light-emittingdevice but also the light-emitting device to which the FPC or the PWB isattached.

Next, the cross-sectional structure of FIG. 11A taken along the lineC-C′ will be described using FIG. 11B. The pixel portion 806 and thegate side driver circuit 807 are formed upper side of the substrate. Thepixel portion 806 is formed by a plurality of pixels each having acurrent control TFT 604 and a pixel electrode 711 electrically connectedwith the drain region thereof. Also, the gate side driver circuit 807 isformed using the CMOS circuit in which an n-channel type TFT 601 and ap-channel type TFT 602 are combined with each other (see Embodiment 1and FIG. 10).

The pixel electrode 711 functions as an anode of the light-emittingelement. Also, banks 712 are formed in both ends of the pixel electrode711. EL layer 713 and a cathode 714 of the light-emitting element areformed on the pixel electrode 711.

The cathode 714 also functions as a wiring common to all pixels, and iselectrically connected with the FPC 905 through the connection wiring904. Further, all elements which are included in the pixel portion 806and the gate side driver circuit 807 are covered with the cathode 714and a passivation film 716.

Also, the cover member 901 is adhered to the resultant substrate 700 bythe first sealing member 902. Note that, in order to keep an intervalbetween the cover member 901 and the light-emitting element, a spacermade of a resin film may be provided. Then, the inside of the firstsealing member 902 is filled with a sealing member 907. Note that, it ispreferred that epoxy resin is used as the first sealing member 902 andthe sealing member 907. Also, it is desired that the first sealingmember 902 is a material to which moisture and oxygen are not penetratedas much as possible. Further, a material having a hygroscopic effect ora material having an oxidation inhibition effect may be contained in thesealing member 907.

The sealing member 907 provided to cover the light-emitting element alsofunctions as an adhesive for adhering the cover member 901 to theresultant substrate 700. Also, in this embodiment, FRP(fiberglass-reinforced plastics), PVF (polyvinyl fluoride), Mylar,polyester, or acrylic can be used as a material of a plastic substrate901 composing the cover member 901.

Also, after the adhering of the cover member 901 using the sealingmember 907, the second sealing member 903 is provided to cover sidesurfaces (exposed surfaces) of the sealing member 907. In the secondsealing member 903, the same material as that of the first sealingmember 902 can be used.

By sealing the light-emitting element with the sealing member 907 withthe above structure, the light-emitting element can be completelyshielded from the outside, and penetration of a substance (such asmoisture or oxygen) which prompts deterioration due to oxidation of theorganic light-emitting layer, from the outside, can be prevented. Thus,the light-emitting device with high reliability can be obtained.

Thus, wirings of the light emitting device formed according toabove-mentioned has a sufficient contact with the semiconductor film.Therefore, enough operating characteristics and reliability of thelight-emitting device can be obtained. By using the active matrixsubstrate used the structure of the present invention, thelight-emitting device can be manufactured with a sufficient yields. Suchlight-emitting device can be used as a display portion of variouselectronic devices.

This embodiment can be performed by freely combining with Embodiment 1.

Embodiment 4

Various display devices (active matrix type liquid crystal displaydevice, active matrix type light emitting device) can be formed byapplying the present invention. Specifically, the present invention canbe applied to various electronic apparatus in which such anelectro-optical device is incorporated in a display portion.

Such electronic apparatus is a video camera, a digital camera, aprojector, a head-mounted display (goggle type display), a carnavigation system, a car stereo, a personal computer, a mobileinformation terminal (such as a mobile computer, a mobile telephone oran electronic book etc.) or the like. FIGS. 12 to 14 show one of itsexamples.

FIG. 12A shows a personal computer which includes a main body 3001, animage input portion 3002, a display portion 3003, a keyboard 3004 andthe like. By applying the present invention, the low-power consumptionpersonal computer which is capable of a high-definition display withhigh yields can be manufactured.

FIG. 12B shows a video camera which includes a main body 3101, a displayportion 3102, a sound input portion 3103, operating switches 3104, abattery 3105, an image receiving portion 3106 and the like. By applyingthe present invention, the video camera which is capable of ahigh-definition display with high yields can be manufactured.

FIG. 12C shows a mobile computer which includes a main body 3201, acamera portion 3202, an image receiving portion 3203, an operatingswitch 3204, a display portion 3205 and the like. By applying thepresent invention, the low-power consumption mobile computer which iscapable of a high-definition display with high yields can bemanufactured.

FIG. 12D shows a goggle type display which includes a main body 3301, adisplay portion 3302, arm portions 3303 and the like. By applying thepresent invention, the goggle type display which is capable of ahigh-definition display with high yields can be manufactured.

FIG. 12E shows a player using a recording medium on which a program isrecorded (hereinafter, the recording medium), and the player includes amain body 3401, a display portion 3402, speaker portions 3403, arecording medium 3404, operating switches 3405 and the like. This playeruses a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a CD and the like as the recordingmedium, and enables a user to enjoy music, movies, games and theInternet. By applying the present invention, the player which is capableof a high-definition display with high yields can be manufactured.

FIG. 12F shows a digital camera which includes a body 3501, a displayportion 3502, an eyepiece portion 3503, operating switches 3504, animage receiving portion (not shown) and the like. By applying thepresent invention, the low-power consumption digital camera which iscapable of a high-definition display with high yields can bemanufactured.

FIG. 13A shows a front type projector which includes a projection device3601, a screen 3602 and the like. By applying the present invention, thehigh-luminance front type projector which is capable of a high-luminancedisplay with high yields can be manufactured.

FIG. 13B shows a rear type projector which includes a main body 3701, aprojection device 3702, a mirror 3703, a screen 3704 and the like. Byapplying the present invention, the high-luminance rear type projectorwhich is capable of a high-definition display with high yields can bemanufactured.

FIG. 13C shows one example of the structure of each of the projectiondevices 3601 and 3702 which are respectively shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B.Each of the projection devices 3601 and 3702 is made of a light sourceoptical system 3801, mirrors 3802 and 3804 to 3806, a dichroic mirror3803, a prism 3807, a liquid crystal display device 3808, a phasedifference plate 3809 and a projection optical system 3810. Theprojection optical system 3810 is made of an optical system including aprojection lens. This embodiment is an example of a three-plate type,but it is not limited to this example and may also be of a single-platetype. In addition, those who implement the invention may appropriatelydispose an optical system such as an optical lens, a film having apolarization function, a film for adjusting phase difference, an IR filmor the like in the path indicated by arrows in FIG. 13C.

FIG. 13D is a view showing one example of the structure of the lightsource optical system 3801 shown in FIG. 13C. In this embodiment, thelight source optical system 3801 is made of a reflector 3811, a lightsource 3812, lens arrays 3813 and 3814, a polarizing conversion element3815 and a condenser lens 3816. Incidentally, the light source opticalsystem shown in FIG. 13D is one example, and the invention is notparticularly limited to the shown construction. For example, those whoseimplement the invention may appropriately dispose an optical system suchas an optical lens, a film having a polarization function, a film foradjusting phase difference, an IR film or the like.

The projector shown in FIG. 13 is the case of using a transparent typeof liquid crystal display device, but there is not shown an example inwhich the invention is applied to a reflection type of liquid crystaldisplay device.

FIG. 14A shows a mobile telephone which includes a main body 3901, asound output portion 3902, a sound input portion 3903, a display portion3904, operating switches 3905, an antenna 3906 and the like. By applyingthe present invention, the low-power consumption mobile telephone whichis capable of a high-definition display with high yields can bemanufactured.

FIG. 14B shows a mobile book (electronic book) which includes a mainbody 4001, display portions 4002 and 4003, a storage medium 4004,operating switches 4005, an antenna 4006 and the like. By applying thepresent invention, the low-power consumption mobile book which iscapable of a high-definition display with high yields can bemanufactured.

FIG. 14C shows a display which includes a main body 4101, a support base4102, a display portion 4103 and the like. The invention is particularlyadvantageous to a large-screen display, and is advantageous to a displayhaving a diagonal size of 10 inches or more (particularly, 30 inches ormore).

In addition, the range of applications of the invention is extremelywide, and the invention can be applied to any category of electronicapparatus. Electronic apparatus according to the invention can berealized by using structures that is composed of any combination ofEmbodiments 1 to 4.

As the structure of this invention is employed, the following advantagescan be achieved.

In a semiconductor device having a TFT and plural capacitors verticallystacked on a substrate, a conductive film as a buffer layer forbuffering stress of a subsequently formed conductive layer is formed onan insulating film, which is a dielectric of the capacitors, and acontact hole is formed in a part of the buffer layer and the insulatingfilm. After that a conductive film is formed and etched to form a sourceelectrode and a drain electrode. This structure enables restraint ofcrack of a semiconductor film, a capacitance wiring and the like due tostress and formation of a semiconductor having a TFT and pluralcapacitors.

In the semiconductor device having a TFT and capacitors verticallystacked on a substrate, by forming the buffer layer on the insulatingfilm, which is a dielectric, it is possible to protect the insulatingfilm, which is a dielectric, from the shock of sputtering. Therefore,capacitance electrodes can be formed by a sputtering method and theselection ratio of a forming method and material for forming thecapacitance electrodes is increased.

As the source electrode and the drain electrode to cover a part of thegate electrode of the TFT, the electrodes function as shade films.Therefore, stray light can be shut out and the OFF-state current of theTFT can be restrained.

That is, this invention enables preparation of a semiconductor devicethat can hold high capacitance at a high yield. Particularly when thesemiconductor device is a display device, since the opening rate can beincreased, a display device that can realize high-luminance andhigh-definition display while securing sufficient capacitance can beprepared at a high yield.

1. A semiconductor device comprising: a thin film transistor formed overa substrate; an insulating film including silicon, nitrogen, and oxygenformed over the thin film transistor; a conductive layer formed on andin contact with the insulating film; a connection wiring formed on andin contact with the conductive layer; and a capacitor comprising a firstelectrode, a second electrode over the first electrode, and a thirdelectrode over the second electrode, wherein the connection wiring iselectrically connected to an active region of the thin film transistorthrough a contact hole formed in the conductive layer, the insulatingfilm and a gate insulating film of the thin film transistor, wherein afirst dielectric layer between the first electrode and the secondelectrode is the gate insulating film, wherein a second dielectric layerbetween the second electrode and the third electrode is the insulatingfilm, wherein the conductive layer is formed from a first conductivelayer, wherein the connection wiring is formed from a second conductivelayer, and wherein the third electrode is formed from the firstconductive layer and the second conductive layer.
 2. The semiconductordevice according to claim 1, wherein the conductive layer comprises anamorphous silicon.
 3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1,wherein the conductive layer comprises a crystalline silicon.
 4. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the connection wiringis directly connected to the active region.
 5. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is a film to relaxstress generated when forming the connection wiring.
 6. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the conductive layerhas a thickness of 10 to 100 nm.
 7. The semiconductor device accordingto claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is not in contact with theactive region of the thin film transistor.
 8. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the connection wiring is at least one of asource electrode and a drain electrode.
 9. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device is a liquidcrystal display device which is incorporated into an electronicequipment selected from the group consisting of a video camera, adigital camera, a projector, a head-mounted display, a car navigationsystem, a car stereo, a personal computer and a mobile informationterminal.
 10. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein thesemiconductor device is a light-emitting device which is incorporatedinto an electronic equipment selected from the group consisting of avideo camera, a digital camera, a projector, a head-mounted display, acar navigation system, a car stereo, a personal computer and a mobileinformation terminal.
 11. A semiconductor device comprising: a thin filmtransistor formed over a substrate; a first insulating film includingsilicon, nitrogen, and oxygen formed over the thin film transistor; aconductive layer formed on and in contact with the first insulatingfilm; and a first connection wiring formed on and in contact with theconductive layer; a second insulating film formed over the firstconnection wiring; a second connection wiring formed over the secondinsulating film; and a capacitor comprising a first electrode, a secondelectrode over the first electrode, and a third electrode over thesecond electrode, wherein the first connection wiring is electricallyconnected to an active region of the thin film transistor through afirst contact hole formed in the conductive layer, the first insulatingfilm and a gate insulating film of the thin film transistor, wherein thesecond connection wiring is electrically connected to the firstconnection wiring through a second contact hole formed in the secondinsulating film, wherein a first dielectric layer between the firstelectrode and the second electrode is the gate insulating film, whereina second dielectric layer between the second electrode and the thirdelectrode is the first insulating film, wherein the conductive layer isformed from a first conductive layer, wherein the first connectionwiring is formed from a second conductive layer, and wherein the thirdelectrode is formed from the first conductive layer and the secondconductive layer.
 12. The semiconductor device according to claim 11,wherein the second connection wiring is formed from a laminated film.13. The semiconductor device according to claim 12, wherein thelaminated film comprises a titanium film, a titanium nitride film, analuminum and silicon alloy film and a tungsten film.
 14. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the conductive layercomprises an amorphous silicon.
 15. The semiconductor device accordingto claim 11, wherein the conductive layer comprises a crystallinesilicon.
 16. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein thefirst connection wiring is directly connected to the active region. 17.The semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the conductivelayer is a film to relax stress generated when forming the firstconnection wiring.
 18. The semiconductor device according to claim 11,wherein the conductive layer has a thickness of 10 to 100 nm.
 19. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the conductive layeris not in contact with the active region of the thin film transistor.20. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the firstconnection wiring is at least one of a source electrode and a drainelectrode.
 21. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, whereinthe semiconductor device is a liquid crystal display device which isincorporated into an electronic equipment selected from the groupconsisting of a video camera, a digital camera, a projector, ahead-mounted display, a car navigation system, a car stereo, a personalcomputer and a mobile information terminal.
 22. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 11, wherein the semiconductor device is alight-emitting device which is incorporated into an electronic equipmentselected from the group consisting of a video camera, a digital camera,a projector, a head-mounted display, a car navigation system, a carstereo, a personal computer and a mobile information terminal.
 23. Asemiconductor device comprising: a thin film transistor formed over asubstrate; a first insulating film including silicon, nitrogen, andoxygen formed over the thin film transistor; a conductive layer formedon and in contact with the first insulating film; a first connectionwiring formed on and in contact with the conductive layer; a secondinsulating film formed over the first connection wiring; a secondconnection wiring formed over the second insulating film; a thirdinsulating film formed over the second connection wiring; a pixelelectrode formed over the third insulating film; and a capacitorcomprising a first electrode, a second electrode over the firstelectrode, and a third electrode over the second electrode, wherein thefirst connection wiring is electrically connected to an active region ofthe thin film transistor through a first contact hole formed in theconductive layer, the first insulating film and a gate insulating filmof the thin film transistor, wherein the second connection wiring iselectrically connected to the first connection wiring through a secondcontact hole formed in the second insulating film, wherein the pixelelectrode is electrically connected to the second connection wiringthrough a third contact hole formed in the third insulating film,wherein a first dielectric layer between the first electrode and thesecond electrode is the gate insulating film, wherein a seconddielectric layer between the second electrode and the third electrode isthe first insulating film, wherein the conductive layer is formed from afirst conductive layer, wherein the first connection wiring is formedfrom a second conductive layer, and wherein the third electrode isformed from the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.24. The semiconductor device according to claim 23, wherein the secondconnection wiring is formed from a laminated film.
 25. The semiconductordevice according to claim 24, wherein the laminated film comprises atitanium film, a titanium nitride film, an aluminum and silicon alloyfilm and a tungsten film.
 26. The semiconductor device according toclaim 23, wherein the conductive layer comprises an amorphous silicon.27. The semiconductor device according to claim 23, wherein theconductive layer comprises a crystalline silicon.
 28. The semiconductordevice according to claim 23, wherein the first connection wiring isdirectly connected to the active region.
 29. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 23, wherein the conductive layer is a film to relaxstress generated when forming the first connection wiring.
 30. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 23, wherein the conductive layerhas a thickness of 10 to 100 nm.
 31. The semiconductor device accordingto claim 23, wherein the conductive layer is not in contact with theactive region of the thin film transistor.
 32. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 23, wherein the first connection wiring is at leastone of a source electrode and a drain electrode.
 33. The semiconductordevice according to claim 23, wherein the semiconductor device is aliquid crystal display device which is incorporated into an electronicequipment selected from the group consisting of a video camera, adigital camera, a projector, a head-mounted display, a car navigationsystem, a car stereo, a personal computer and a mobile informationterminal.
 34. The semiconductor device according to claim 23, whereinthe semiconductor device is a light-emitting device which isincorporated into an electronic equipment selected from the groupconsisting of a video camera, a digital camera, a projector, ahead-mounted display, a car navigation system, a car stereo, a personalcomputer and a mobile information terminal.
 35. A semiconductor devicecomprising: a thin film transistor formed over a substrate; aninsulating film including silicon, nitrogen, and oxygen formed over thethin film transistor; a conductive layer formed on and in contact withthe insulating film; a connection wiring formed on and in contact withthe conductive layer; a capacitor comprising a first electrode, a secondelectrode over the first electrode, and a third electrode over thesecond electrode, wherein the connection wiring is electricallyconnected to an active region of the thin film transistor through acontact hole formed in the conductive layer and the insulating film,wherein a first dielectric layer between the first electrode and thesecond electrode is a gate insulating film of the thin film transistor,wherein a second dielectric layer between the second electrode and thethird electrode is the insulating film, wherein the conductive layer isformed from a first conductive layer, wherein the connection wiring isformed from a second conductive layer, and wherein the third electrodeis formed from the first conductive layer and the second conductivelayer.
 36. The semiconductor device according to claim 35, wherein agate electrode of the thin film transistor is formed from a thirdconductive layer, and wherein the second electrode is formed from thethird conductive layer.
 37. The semiconductor device according to claim35, wherein the conductive layer comprises an amorphous silicon.
 38. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 35, wherein the conductive layercomprises a crystalline silicon.
 39. The semiconductor device accordingto claim 35, wherein the connection wiring is directly connected to theactive region.
 40. The semiconductor device according to claim 35,wherein the conductive layer is a film to relax stress generated whenforming the connection wiring.
 41. The semiconductor device according toclaim 35, wherein the conductive layer has a thickness of 10 to 100 nm.42. The semiconductor device according to claim 35, wherein theconductive layer is not in contact with the active region of the thinfilm transistor.
 43. The semiconductor device according to claim 35,wherein the connection wiring is at least one of a source electrode anda drain electrode.
 44. The semiconductor device according to claim 35,wherein the semiconductor device is a liquid crystal display devicewhich is incorporated into an electronic equipment selected from thegroup consisting of a video camera, a digital camera, a projector, ahead-mounted display, a car navigation system, a car stereo, a personalcomputer and a mobile information terminal.
 45. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 35, wherein the semiconductor device is alight-emitting device which is incorporated into an electronic equipmentselected from the group consisting of a video camera, a digital camera,a projector, a head-mounted display, a car navigation system, a carstereo, a personal computer and a mobile information terminal.
 46. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein an edge of theconductive layer and an edge of the connection wiring are aligned. 47.The semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein an edge of theconductive layer and an edge of the first connection wiring are aligned.48. The semiconductor device according to claim 23, wherein an edge ofthe conductive layer and an edge of the first connection wiring arealigned.
 49. The semiconductor device according to claim 35, wherein anedge of the conductive layer and an edge of the connection wiring arealigned.